27. December 2017

Who scored better in 2017?

First-class pigeons: no other way to describe it…

These last few years, Luc and his wife Sybille have not had a lot of luck. They had to do without the help of father Maurice since 2015; added to that was Luc’s serious work-related accident in autumn 2015, which involved several operations and lingering problems with a great deal of ongoing joint pain and muscle ache. Luckily there is still Sybille, who has been taking care of the pigeons for the most part ever since. There is one thing that they have learned from all that: caring for pigeons can be very simple and a lot depends on good origins – the Tieke origins. The old base with the Vandenabeele pigeons and the old Janssen birds, which have been producing very good pigeons for several years now. The foundation cock Tieke 3010207-00 was a top cock that was the best of the province of West Flanders in the middle distance two years in a row. He became 1^st Provincial Ace with a list of top prizes: 1^st Provincial Tours against 1,557 pigeons (6 minutes ahead!) – 1^st Tours against 490 pigeons (2 minutes ahead) – 1^st Blois against 344 pigeons (2 minutes ahead) – 1^st Tours (8 minutes ahead) and 1^st Chartres (6 minutes ahead). He grew and became a dominant breeder and in crossbreed with the strain of the Bliksem of Vandenabeele, he produced top descendants. Offspring, grandchildren and great-grandchildren even have garnered wins! That’s all a fancier needs!!! The super birds always moved into their own breeding loft and this often proved to be a golden move. The breeders are very well taken care of – they form the foundation of the loft.

Breeders and top care

In preparation for the breeding period, the De Laere family uses Taubenfit E50 (15ml per litre water), it ensures a good lay and good fertilization. During the breeding period, the birds regularly receive Gervit-W. The product Avidress Plus is used daily every day of the year, although the racers do not get this the day of hampering. Sometimes they may get a little bit more as Luc watches his pigeons very closely and when the droppings are not as they should be, he does not panic or turn to medication but prefers using a little more Avidress in the water which usually solves the problem! Every day, he adds fresh grit to the feed mixture and also uses a lot of minerals (Expert Mineral) and Lecker-Stein. This provides the birds with extra calcium, which keeps them healthy.

Not a lot but good!

In Anzegem, they have 36 widowers: two compartments of 18 pigeons each, and Luc wants to keep it that way. This allows for a strict selection!

He still uses the classic widowhood method, in spring the birds only get to breed. Simple and good. The cocks have to train twice a day for half an hour. To get into a good basic condition, the birds get a 4-week “cure” of Hexenbier. This product provides them with a very good basic condition, a smooth moult of the down and “clean” bodies with good blood circulation and fit birds at the start.

Luc prefers to use the same system week after week, a good basic routine. Every day In the drinking water, he puts Avidress Plus (to disinfect) to which he adds Usne Gano (oregano & Usnea barbarta), two products that ensure the birds are free of canker, have good digestion and soft feathers.

During the racing season at the beginning of the week, they receive Bt-Amin forte (this combination accelerates recovery) and several times Avidress Plus and Hexenbier.

The day of hampering, they get Avipharm in combination with Rotosal, which provides their body with extra energy. Luc gives his birds a reserve of electrolytes the day of hampering as this provides them with a better fluid balance during the race. The sooner the birds get fit, the higher they will be classified in the results of the next race… Whether it’s a distance of 100 or 600km, the key thing is good regeneration. On arrival from the race, the pigeons always get a rich energy mix, moistened with Gervit-W and dried with K + K Protein 3000, a combination of vitamins and proteins with which the recover in very short time. The following three days, they receive Hessechol combined with Entrobac. On the day of hampering, the cocks get some RO 200 with their feed, an extra portion of vitamin B to give them extra energy in most cases for the race.

Not a lot of pigeons but space enough for more!

There are not a lot of pigeons here because Luc goes by a strict selection with only the best remaining in the loft. Nevertheless, he has great faith in his birds, tries to do what is necessary, keeping to a good solid system. By using Röhnfried products, the pigeons remain as close to nature as possible while receiving what they need. He does not take unnecessary risks when racing his birds for championships or ace-pigeon titles, but he always keeps an eye on the racing conditions. In bad weather, he prefers a shorter race (100-300km) to a national one.

The youngsters are darkened from March 10^th until June 10^th and they stay together all season long. Some pairs get a nest, others are motivated by a nesting bowl and some have their little perch… It is all kept very simple and they all train together twice a day for about ¾ of an hour. Prior to his accident, Luc would drive his youngsters away by car twice a week and release them one by one from a distance of around 30km. Now, because it is too much work and he can no longer handle it, he has stopped doing this and still his results are super! His success is based solely on quality, good care and good supplementary products.